Outside supporters should call, email or even write letters to send a message including something such as:

I am asking you to please ensure that proper health care continues to be provided to prisoners under your care and that denial of such is not used as a form of punishment towards those protesting their already dire conditions.

Week 2 Phone Blast

Tomorrow (7/15/2013) marks 1 week for the hunger strikers in California. The CDCR has reported over 12,400 who are officially fasting by their standards, and at least 30,000 that have forgone meals in support.

All justice loving people, now is the time to voice your concerns about solitary confinement and have the most impact. Call Governor Jerry Brown and tell him that all long-term isolation must be shut down in compliance with international laws against torture.

Phone #'s: (916) 445-2841, (510) 289-0336, (510) 628-0202

8 July 2013 Update

June 2013 Update

The latest round of negotations with the CDCR have failed. The Short Corridor Collective have released a statement announcing this and the plans for indefinite food and work strike starting July 8th. Comrades in Corcoran and San Quentin's Adjustment Center are organizing to begin hunger striking this day as well. All prisoners are called to stop work starting July 8th to support the struggle for an end to torture in California prisons. MIM(Prisons) has begun circulating update letters to our supporters in California. Donations of money and labor to support this work are welcome. Articles updating this campaign are linked below.

They have also put out a call to other prisons to develop their own demands if their needs differ from conditions faced in Pelican Bay. Prisoners are organizing across California, as well as in other states, for the upcoming strike. MIM(Prisons) is promoting a statement to comrades in United Struggle from Within to lay out what it would look like for the CDCR to put an end to torture in their prisons.

The info below provides further background to this struggle, followed by a constantly updated list of articles with further developments.

Original Campaign Info

Prisoners in the short-corridor Group D control unit in Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP), Crescent City, California are planning a food strike to protest inhuman conditions of isolation. These prisoners are locked up in long term isolation, often on false gang validations as punishment for political organizing or refusing to snitch on others. They are cut off from contact with their families, not even able to send photographs, or talk to them on the phone. Their food strike begins July 1 2011. Their demands include an end to group punishment for individual actions and an end to the bogus debriefing process, more visitation and interaction with family members, and adequate food. Read a full list of their demands here.

Pelican Bay is where many politically influential prisoners in California are sent, which is in fact the reason why the unit was built in the first place. The construction in 1989 was part of a conscious campaign to crush prison activism and the inherently anti-imperialist politics of the incarcerated oppressed nations, following the strong prison movement that peaked in the 1970s in California.

The Security Housing Units (SHU, also knowns as Control Units) were developed to isolate the most capable leaders among the prisoners. The groups that weren't crushed were outlawed. Through the process of "gang validations," the control unit in PBSP is used to limit the organizing abilities of members of oppressed nations. The more politically active and revolutionary-minded a prisoner is, the more they are targeted by the state for transfer to Pelican Bay or another SHU. People are not isolated because of violent acts they commit, or even for having plans of committing violent acts; they are isolated because it is illegal for them to interact with their own people.

That it is illegal for oppressed people to organize with each other, for any reason, is obviously a method of ensuring the supremacy of the Amerikan nation in North America, yet it is presented by legislators, politicians, prison administrators, and the corporate media as a way of saving the streets from criminal organizations. In Under Lock & Key issue 7, MIM(Prisons) and many prisoners explained that when prisoners are not allowed to organize for their own interests as oppressed peoples, violence actually increases in prisons and then spills out onto the streets. The talking heads could easily recognize this contradiction, but choose not to because it does not serve their interests. Amerika wants divisions between, and violence amongst, oppressed nations peoples, because it keeps the oppressed distracted from their common enemy.

How does staff determine that someone is a gang member? Playing a game of chess with a validated persyn, receiving a greeting card from a validated persyn, or even just talking to a validated persyn can get you validated, too. "Confidential information" is often used to validate someone, which may be falsified by someone trying to save themselves from these inhuman conditions, or may not exist at all.

Prisoners in PBSP are forced to "debrief" (snitch) if they want to get out of the SHU, whether they have real information on someone or not. The prevalence of snitching is an indicator of the current state of disunity within prisons. But snitching doesn't necessarily come from persynal vendettas; people say what the administration wants to hear, or what the administration tells them to say, and it is accepted as evidence by the very same administration. The snitch is then ostracized for obvious reasons. That extreme isolation, torture, violence, and denial of privileges are used to extract this "information" shows that the administration is the real enemy here. If the administration let up their torture tactics, we believe most snitching would stop.

Oppressed people should be allowed to organize freely, even in prisons, and we are not content with a "more transparent" validation process, or a validation process conducted by a third party. The conditions in Pelican Bay State Prison reflect the state of the criminal injustice system across the United $tates. Prisons are used as a tool of social control, and this has resulted in the largest prison population in the world (relative to population size), and the locking up of large portions of the Black and Latino nations. It is no surprise that this system leads the oppressed nations to organize themselves behind bars. Self-defense against a system that is literally burying people alive would demand no less. This leads to an ever worsening cycle of repression and isolation within Amerika's prisons. The only real solution is an end to the entire criminal injustice system. While we fight for that revolutionary change, MIM(Prisons) supports the demands of striking prisoners on short-corridor Group D in Pelican Bay State Prison.

Support the striking prisoners! Do any or all of the following:

Write letters of support to the following addresses saying you support the strikers and demand an end to the inhuman isolation. Click here for an example letter.

Ensure the strikers are treated properly by staff.From a California prisoner: "Ask the Prison Law Office to do their job and file a motion to Judge Henderson to make sure the Inspector General and the prison medical overseer/monitor is here at PBSP from July 1 until the conclusion of the hunger strike. They should be here to make sure there's no abuse, that no medical-records or weight-scale tampering is conducted by medical or prison staff, and no retaliation is conducted by the administration on any of the hunger strike participants. Examples of retaliation would be moving them, removing all liquids (coffee, tea, etc.) and all other property from their cells, etc. You can also ask Judge Thelton Henderson to get involved; ask Dem. State Senators and Assemblymembers Tom Ammiano and Jerry Hill to exercise their right as state legislators to oversee PBSP's medical and prison staff during the hunger strike; ask the Office of the Inspector General to be here for the reasons mentioned above; get Governor Brown involved, and inform the media of our hunger strike."

Print and pass out flyers.Click here to download a flyer we made to publicize this strike. Print and pass it out, or make your own flyer.

Host a candlelight vigil or demonstration to publicize and show support for the strikers.

Tell us what you are doing to support the striking prisoners so we can publicize it on our website.

Sign the petition. If you can't provide support on the ground, at least click here to sign an online petition. The creators of this petition plan to send it to Governor of California Jerry Brown, Secretary of CDCR Matthew Cate, and Warden of Pelican Bay State Prison Greg Lewis.

Get email updates. There is an email digest with updates being ran by comrades at: [email protected]

I am writing this letter about a censorship incident that recently occurred at Gib Lewis Unit in Woodville, Texas.

MIM Distributors sent the above named prisoner a newsletter titled Under Lock & Key No. 23 (November/December 2011). This newsletter was mailed via Standard Presorted Mail with the USPS on November 18, 2011.

We recently learned from the prisoner (Mr. xxx) that he never received the publication listed above. I am writing because MIM Distributors did not receive any notice of censorship determination from your Department or the mailroom staff at Lewis Unit.

The TDCJ Board Policy-03.91 (rev. 2) "Uniform Offender Correspondence Rules" states at Section IV E "If a publication is rejected, the offender and sender shall be provided a written notice of the disapproval and a statement of the reason for disapproval within 72 hours of receipt of the publication on a Publication Denial Form. Within the same time period, the offender and sender shall be notified of the procedure for appeal. The offender shall be given a sufficiently detailed description of the rejected publication to permit effective use of the appeal procedures. The offender or sender may appeal the rejection of the publication through procedures provided by these rules."

Additionally, both the sender and the prisoner have a right, under the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, to receive notice and an opportunity to be heard when prison administrators or staff prevent the sender?s expressive materials from reaching their intended recipients (Procunier v. Martinez, 416 U.S.396. 94 S.Ct 1800, as reaffirmed on the point by Turner V. Safley, 482 U.S. 78 (1987) and Thornburgh v. Abbott, 490 U.S. 401 (1989) and Montcalm Publ'g Corp. v. Beck, 80 F.3d 105, 106 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 519 U.S. 928 (1996)).

In refusing to provide notice and an opportunity to be heard to the publisher (MIM Distributors), under local policies and/or practices, prison administrators and staff violated clearly established constitutional law and acted under color of state law for purposes of 42 U.S.C. ? 1983.

With the present letter, MIM Distributors requests:
1. to know what determination has been made over the mentioned publication;
2. in case of a negative determination, to be notified of the reasons of the censorship decision, and to be offered a chance to appeal the exclusion of its materials;
3. and that all future decisions to censor material from MIM Distributors to anyone held in Lewis Unit be accompanied by procedurally and legally required notification to the publisher and prisoner.

We appreciate your assistance in this matter and look forward to your response.

RE: Censorship incident occurred at Hughes Unit ? exclusion of publication sent to several prisoners from MIM Distributors

Dear Ombudsman Coordinator,

I am writing this letter about a censorship incident that recently occurred at Hughes Unit in Gatesville, Texas.

MIM Distributors sent several prisoners at Hughes Unit a newsletter titled Under Lock & Key No. 23 (November/December 2011). This newsletter was mailed via Standard Presorted Mail with the USPS on November 18, 2011.

We recently learned from several people at Hughes Unit that they never received the publication listed above. Instead it was censored. We are aware that some people appealed the censorship decision, and that it was upheld by the Director's Review Committee. I am writing because MIM Distributors did not receive any notice of censorship determination from your Department, either from the mailroom staff at Hughes Unit, or from the Director's Review Committee.

The TDCJ Board Policy-03.91 (rev. 2) "Uniform Offender Correspondence Rules" states at Section IV E "If a publication is rejected, the offender and sender shall be provided a written notice of the disapproval and a statement of the reason for disapproval within 72 hours of receipt of the publication on a Publication Denial Form. Within the same time period, the offender and sender shall be notified of the procedure for appeal. The offender shall be given a sufficiently detailed description of the rejected publication to permit effective use of the appeal procedures. The offender or sender may appeal the rejection of the publication through procedures provided by these rules."

Additionally, both the sender and the prisoner have a right, under the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, to receive notice and an opportunity to be heard when prison administrators or staff prevent the sender?s expressive materials from reaching their intended recipients (Procunier v. Martinez, 416 U.S.396. 94 S.Ct 1800, as reaffirmed on the point by Turner V. Safley, 482 U.S. 78 (1987) and Thornburgh v. Abbott, 490 U.S. 401 (1989) and Montcalm Publ'g Corp. v. Beck, 80 F.3d 105, 106 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 519 U.S. 928 (1996)).

In refusing to provide notice and an opportunity to be heard to the publisher (MIM Distributors), under local policies and/or practices, prison administrators and staff violated clearly established constitutional law and acted under color of state law for purposes of 42 U.S.C. ? 1983.

With the present letter, MIM Distributors requests:
1. to appeal the censorship decision to exclude Under Lock & Key No. 23 (November/December 2011);
3. and that all future decisions to censor material from MIM Distributors to anyone held in Hughes Unit be accompanied by procedurally and legally required notification to the publisher and prisoners.

We appreciate your assistance in this matter and look forward to your response.

RE: Censorship incident occurred at Clements Unit ? exclusion of publication sent to several prisoners from MIM Distributors

Dear Ombudsman Coordinator,

I am writing this letter about a censorship incident that recently occurred at Clements Unit in Amarillo, Texas.

MIM Distributors sent several prisoners in Clements Unit a newsletter titled Under Lock & Key No. 23 (November/December 2011). This newsletter was mailed via Standard Presorted Mail with the USPS on November 18, 2011.

We recently learned from several prisoners that they never received the publication listed above. Most of these prisoners appealed the exclusion of Under Lock & Key No 23, and sent MIM Distributors the Director's Review Committee decision to deny the publication. MIM Distributors never received any notice of censorship determination from your Department or the mailroom staff at Clements Unit.

The TDCJ Board Policy-03.91 (rev. 2) "Uniform Offender Correspondence Rules" states at Section IV E "If a publication is rejected, the offender and sender shall be provided a written notice of the disapproval and a statement of the reason for disapproval within 72 hours of receipt of the publication on a Publication Denial Form. Within the same time period, the offender and sender shall be notified of the procedure for appeal. The offender shall be given a sufficiently detailed description of the rejected publication to permit effective use of the appeal procedures. The offender or sender may appeal the rejection of the publication through procedures provided by these rules."

Additionally, both the sender and the prisoner have a right, under the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, to receive notice and an opportunity to be heard when prison administrators or staff prevent the sender?s expressive materials from reaching their intended recipients (Procunier v. XXXXXX, 416 U.S.396. 94 S.Ct 1800, as reaffirmed on the point by Turner V. Safley, 482 U.S. 78 (1987) and Thornburgh v. Abbott, 490 U.S. 401 (1989) and Montcalm Publ'g Corp. v. Beck, 80 F.3d 105, 106 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 519 U.S. 928 (1996)).

In refusing to provide notice and an opportunity to be heard to the publisher (MIM Distributors) or prisoner, under local policies and/or practices, prison administrators and staff violated clearly established constitutional law and acted under color of state law for purposes of 42 U.S.C. ? 1983.

With the present letter, MIM Distributors requests:
1. to be offered a chance to appeal the exclusion of our materials;
2. and that all future decisions to censor material from MIM Distributors to anyone held in Clements Unit be accompanied by procedurally and legally required notification to the publisher and prisoner.

We appreciate your assistance in this matter and look forward to your response.

RE: Censorship incident occurred at Hughes Unit ? exclusion of publication sent to several prisoners from MIM Distributors

Dear Ombudsman Coordinator,

I am writing this letter about a censorship incident that recently occurred at Hughes Unit in Gatesville, Texas.

MIM Distributors sent several prisoners at Hughes Unit a newsletter titled Under Lock & Key No. 23 (November/December 2011). This newsletter was mailed via Standard Presorted Mail with the USPS on November 18, 2011.

We recently learned from several people at Hughes Unit that they never received the publication listed above. Instead it was censored. We are aware that some people appealed the censorship decision, and that it was upheld by the Director's Review Committee. I am writing because MIM Distributors did not receive any notice of censorship determination from your Department, either from the mailroom staff at Hughes Unit, or from the Director's Review Committee.

The TDCJ Board Policy-03.91 (rev. 2) "Uniform Offender Correspondence Rules" states at Section IV E "If a publication is rejected, the offender and sender shall be provided a written notice of the disapproval and a statement of the reason for disapproval within 72 hours of receipt of the publication on a Publication Denial Form. Within the same time period, the offender and sender shall be notified of the procedure for appeal. The offender shall be given a sufficiently detailed description of the rejected publication to permit effective use of the appeal procedures. The offender or sender may appeal the rejection of the publication through procedures provided by these rules."

Additionally, both the sender and the prisoner have a right, under the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, to receive notice and an opportunity to be heard when prison administrators or staff prevent the sender?s expressive materials from reaching their intended recipients (Procunier v. Martinez, 416 U.S.396. 94 S.Ct 1800, as reaffirmed on the point by Turner V. Safley, 482 U.S. 78 (1987) and Thornburgh v. Abbott, 490 U.S. 401 (1989) and Montcalm Publ'g Corp. v. Beck, 80 F.3d 105, 106 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 519 U.S. 928 (1996)).

In refusing to provide notice and an opportunity to be heard to the publisher (MIM Distributors), under local policies and/or practices, prison administrators and staff violated clearly established constitutional law and acted under color of state law for purposes of 42 U.S.C. ? 1983.

With the present letter, MIM Distributors requests:
1. to appeal the censorship decision to exclude Under Lock & Key No. 23 (November/December 2011);
3. and that all future decisions to censor material from MIM Distributors to anyone held in Hughes Unit be accompanied by procedurally and legally required notification to the publisher and prisoners.

We appreciate your assistance in this matter and look forward to your response.

RE: Censorship incident occurred at Clements Unit ? exclusion of publication sent to several prisoners from MIM Distributors

Dear Ombudsman Coordinator,

I am writing this letter about a censorship incident that recently occurred at Clements Unit in Amarillo, Texas.

MIM Distributors sent several prisoners in Clements Unit a newsletter titled Under Lock & Key No. 23 (November/December 2011). This newsletter was mailed via Standard Presorted Mail with the USPS on November 18, 2011.

We recently learned from several prisoners that they never received the publication listed above. Most of these prisoners appealed the exclusion of Under Lock & Key No 23, and sent MIM Distributors the Director's Review Committee decision to deny the publication. MIM Distributors never received any notice of censorship determination from your Department or the mailroom staff at Clements Unit.

The TDCJ Board Policy-03.91 (rev. 2) "Uniform Offender Correspondence Rules" states at Section IV E "If a publication is rejected, the offender and sender shall be provided a written notice of the disapproval and a statement of the reason for disapproval within 72 hours of receipt of the publication on a Publication Denial Form. Within the same time period, the offender and sender shall be notified of the procedure for appeal. The offender shall be given a sufficiently detailed description of the rejected publication to permit effective use of the appeal procedures. The offender or sender may appeal the rejection of the publication through procedures provided by these rules."

Additionally, both the sender and the prisoner have a right, under the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, to receive notice and an opportunity to be heard when prison administrators or staff prevent the sender?s expressive materials from reaching their intended recipients (Procunier v. Martinez, 416 U.S.396. 94 S.Ct 1800, as reaffirmed on the point by Turner V. Safley, 482 U.S. 78 (1987) and Thornburgh v. Abbott, 490 U.S. 401 (1989) and Montcalm Publ'g Corp. v. Beck, 80 F.3d 105, 106 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 519 U.S. 928 (1996)).

In refusing to provide notice and an opportunity to be heard to the publisher (MIM Distributors) or prisoner, under local policies and/or practices, prison administrators and staff violated clearly established constitutional law and acted under color of state law for purposes of 42 U.S.C. ? 1983.

With the present letter, MIM Distributors requests:
1. to be offered a chance to appeal the exclusion of our materials;
2. and that all future decisions to censor material from MIM Distributors to anyone held in Clements Unit be accompanied by procedurally and legally required notification to the publisher and prisoner.

We appreciate your assistance in this matter and look forward to your response.

RE: Censorship incident occurred at Clements Unit ? exclusion of publication sent to several prisoners from MIM Distributors

Dear Ombudsman Coordinator,

I am writing this letter about a censorship incident that recently occurred at Clements Unit in Amarillo, Texas.

MIM Distributors sent several prisoners in Clements Unit a newsletter titled Under Lock & Key No. 23 (November/December 2011). This newsletter was mailed via Standard Presorted Mail with the USPS on November 18, 2011.

We recently learned from several prisoners that they never received the publication listed above. Most of these prisoners appealed the exclusion of Under Lock & Key No 23, and sent MIM Distributors the Director's Review Committee decision to deny the publication. MIM Distributors never received any notice of censorship determination from your Department or the mailroom staff at Clements Unit.

The TDCJ Board Policy-03.91 (rev. 2) "Uniform Offender Correspondence Rules" states at Section IV E "If a publication is rejected, the offender and sender shall be provided a written notice of the disapproval and a statement of the reason for disapproval within 72 hours of receipt of the publication on a Publication Denial Form. Within the same time period, the offender and sender shall be notified of the procedure for appeal. The offender shall be given a sufficiently detailed description of the rejected publication to permit effective use of the appeal procedures. The offender or sender may appeal the rejection of the publication through procedures provided by these rules."

Additionally, both the sender and the prisoner have a right, under the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, to receive notice and an opportunity to be heard when prison administrators or staff prevent the sender?s expressive materials from reaching their intended recipients (Procunier v. Martinez, 416 U.S.396. 94 S.Ct 1800, as reaffirmed on the point by Turner V. Safley, 482 U.S. 78 (1987) and Thornburgh v. Abbott, 490 U.S. 401 (1989) and Montcalm Publ'g Corp. v. Beck, 80 F.3d 105, 106 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 519 U.S. 928 (1996)).

In refusing to provide notice and an opportunity to be heard to the publisher (MIM Distributors) or prisoner, under local policies and/or practices, prison administrators and staff violated clearly established constitutional law and acted under color of state law for purposes of 42 U.S.C. ? 1983.

With the present letter, MIM Distributors requests:
1. to be offered a chance to appeal the exclusion of our materials;
2. and that all future decisions to censor material from MIM Distributors to anyone held in Clements Unit be accompanied by procedurally and legally required notification to the publisher and prisoner.

We appreciate your assistance in this matter and look forward to your response.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIM DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Confiscated by GP ISU. The mailing is disallowed per Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIMS [sic] DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Other (describe): Confiscated by SHU ISU. The mailing is disallowed as per the CCR, Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIMS [sic] DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Other (describe): Confiscated by SHU ISU. The mailing is disallowed as per the CCR, Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIMS [sic] DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Other (describe): Confiscated by SHU ISU. The mailing is disallowed as per the CCR, Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIMS [sic] DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Other (describe): Confiscated by SHU ISU. The mailing is disallowed as per the CCR, Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIM DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Confiscated by SHU ISU. The mailing is disallowed per Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIM DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Confiscated by GP ISU. The mailing is disallowed per Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

Notification of censorship
Show Text(need javascript to show/hide text)

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIM DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Confiscated by GP ISU. The mailing is disallowed per Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIM DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Confiscated by GP ISU. The mailing is disallowed per Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIM DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Confiscated by GP ISU. The mailing is disallowed per Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIM DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Confiscated by GP ISU. The mailing is disallowed per Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIM DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Confiscated by GP ISU. The mailing is disallowed per Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIM DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Confiscated by GP ISU. The mailing is disallowed per Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

Notification of censorship
Show Text(need javascript to show/hide text)

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIM DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Confiscated by GP ISU. The mailing is disallowed per Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

ISU has once again banned/disallowed MIM Distributors with the bogus claim that it has plans to "strike"; coded messages; promotes gang activities; has inmate-to-inmate correspondence; & third party mail. This is plainly an untrue statement of the facts. PBSP is only attempting to exclude ALL material from MIM regardless of the material in it, which it cannot do. See Williams v. Brimeyer 116 F.3d 351 (1997). Prison officials cannot censor mail just because it makes rule [sic] comments about the prison or prison staff (see Bressman v. Farrier, 825 F.Supp 231 (1993)). Further I have the right, as all prisoners do, to express our political beliefs and cannot be punished because of them (see Sczerbaty v. Oswald 341 F. Supp 571 (1972)). A news publication, which MIM is, IS allowed to report the news. That means prison news as well. I have already addressed this issue on prior disapproved mail of MIM yet PBSP is still unjustly banning MIM. This needs to stop.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIM DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Confiscated by GP ISU. The mailing is disallowed per Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIM DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Confiscated by GP ISU. The mailing is disallowed per Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIM DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Confiscated by GP ISU. The mailing is disallowed per Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIM DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Confiscated by GP ISU. The mailing is disallowed per Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Section 3006 and or 3135:
Title 15, Section 3006 CONTRABAND:
(c)(5) Plans to disrupt the order, or breath the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(7) Coded messages.

Additional information: Mass mailing from MIM DISTRIBUTORS advocating the continuation of a state wide hunger strike/disturbance. Contains reports from several unidentified California inmates located throughout the state.

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Confiscated by GP ISU. The mailing is disallowed per Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

I received a 128-B and a 1819 notifying me that a newsletter from [MIM Distributors] was confiscated. This unjust as there was no third party correspondence. [Sender] world for the newspaper "Under Lock & Key" and was informing me of the ongoing developments of the hunger strike already going on and in which I was already a part of. There is or was no coded messages or plans to disrupt the order of the facility. The letter confiscated unjustly was no more than a newsletter and journal of personal struggles. I and all prisoners have a right to express our political beliefs. The means that prison officials may not punish us simply because of our political beliefs. See Sczerbaty v. Oswald 341 F.Supp 571 (1972). Further, prison officials cannot censor my mail just because it makes rude comments about the prison or prison staff, Breggman v. Farrier 825 F. Supp 231 (1993). Mail cannot be censored because prison officials believe it improperly magnifies complaints or contains inflammatory remarks, Procunier v Martinez (1974) 416 U.S. 396, 413. Penal Code section 2601(c) provides California inmates with a specific right to receive publications. Lastly, the whole basis of the hunger strike is and was a matter of CDCR and PBSP NOT conforming to the laws of the US, California, and its legal courts. The US constitution requires prison officials to allow prisoners to exchange correspondence that is necessary for a legal matter, which is the case here. See Turner v. Safely (1987) 482 U.S. 78; Valandingham v. Bojorquez (9th Cir 1989) 866 F.2d 1135; Murphy v. Shaw (9th Cir. 1999) 195 F.3d 957.

Correspondence was stopped
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The correspondence was disapproved in accordance with Title 15, Section 3136 as it pertains to Sections 3006 and or 3135:

Title 15, Section 3006, CONTRABAND, state in part:
(c)(5), Plans to disrupt the order, or breach the security, of any facility (such as riot, escape, strike, etc.)
(c)(6); Plans for activities which violate the law, these regulations, or local procedures.

Additional Information: MIM letter dated September 1, 2011, states in part that "This letter is going out to activists in California to update you on the latest information and keep the organizing moving forward." This statement is referring to the hunger strike which took place between June and July of 2011. The letter goes on to state "The struggle is a protracted one and we need to continue to learn how to work better together and in opposition to the oppressor. We need to get organized and we need to study and learn."

The disposition of the letter/mailing is as follows:
Other (describe): Confiscated by SHU ISU. The mailing is disallowed as per the CCR, Title 15, Sections 3006, 3135, and 3136.

We recently learned from the prisoner that he never received these materials. Nor did he receive any notice or determination from your Department explaining whether and why the publications were censored. MIM Distributors did not receive any notice of censorship determination either.

Your DOM states at sections 54010.16 and 54010.21.3 that respectively prisoners and publishers have to be notified of negative determinations and entitles both the sender and the recipient to appeal rejections of publications and letters.

As of now, it is impossible for us to understand why the letters and publications haven?t been delivered to the inmate and whether or not the Administration has decided to censor them.

As you are certainly aware, the U.S. Supreme Court has clearly stated that both the sender and the prisoner have a right, under the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, to receive notice and an opportunity to be heard when prison administrators or staff prevent the sender?s expressive materials from reaching their intended recipients (Procunier v. Martinez, 416 U.S.396. 94 S.Ct 1800, as reaffirmed on the point by Turner V. Safley, 482 U.S. 78 (1987) and Thornburgh v. Abbott, 490 U.S. 401 (1989) and Montcalm Publ'g Corp. v. Beck, 80 F.3d 105, 106 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 519 U.S. 928 (1996)). In plain and striking contradiction with these principles, neither the prisoner, nor MIM Distributors were notified of the censorship decision or actually of any decisions that the Mailroom staff has made with regard to the publication sent to Mr. Barnett.

In refusing to provide notice and an opportunity to be heard to both the prisoner and the publisher (MIM Distributors), under local policies and/or practices, prison administrators and staff violated clearly established constitutional law and acted under color of state law for purposes of 42 U.S.C. ? 1983.

In addition, the practice of holding publications and/or letters for an indefinite time without providing notice of any determination is certainly unconstitutional, as it does not satisfy the obligation that the prison administration has to provide both the sender and the recipient with a decision in a reasonable time and ultimately frustrates the right that both the sender and the prisoner have to appeal a negative determination.

With the present letter, MIM Distributors requests
1) to know whether or not a determination has been made over the mentioned letters and publications;
2) in case of a negative determination, to be notified of the reasons of the censorship decision and to be offered a chance to appeal the exclusion of its materials.

We also request that adequate notice be provided to the prisoner.

We appreciate your assistance in this matter and look forward to your response.